Israel Slicing Gaza in Preparation for Apparent Incursion
Israel appears setting the stage for a limited incursion into specific zones of Gaza and not a wide-front invasion of the sector.
The pan-Arab daily al-Hayat said Israeli air raids focused Friday on slicing Gaza by targeting bridges and highways linking the northern and southern flanks of the besieged sector.
The Israeli air raids, according to the report, demolished bridges over the Gaza Ravine blocking traffic between the north and the south.
The report predicted a 500-1,000-meter-deep Israeli incursion into Gaza, saying the depth of the offensive "could double in areas that are not densely-populated."
The Israelis are expected to "occupy large areas in northern Gaza" including the towns of Beit Lahya and Beit Hanoun, in addition to the refugee camp of Jabaliya, the largest in the sector, the report added.
Israeli forces, it added, would not try to occupy the southern border strip between Gaza and Egypt to avoid being squeezed under Hamas fire.
The Israeli air-artillery-naval bombardment of Gaza has claimed 435 lives and wounded 2,285 people, at least 300 of them in critical conditions.